Tips For Flying With A Baby

Traveling in itself is a lot of work–making flight arrangements, booking a hotel, getting all the documents together needed for flying/lodging, packing, unpacking, etc. So you can imagine adding a baby into the mix can make things a little more work especially if it’s your first time. The unknown of how your baby will behave on the airplane is enough to stir up anxiety. But trust me with a little preparation and a whole lot grace, you’ll do just fine.

My husband and I have traveled twice now with our little boy so I’m super excited to share with you all that I have learned. I’ll be including some tips, advice, and not so fun experiences that taught me to do things a little differently the next time.

As a first time mom, I will honestly admit traveling with my baby caused a lot of anxiety and I was super overwhelmed. So I hope these tips for flying with a baby and my experience will help lessen those not so fun feelings. That way you can enjoy the vacation I know you desperately need and make some great memories with your family.

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Contacting Airlines for what you need for documentation for baby AND adding baby as a lap infant to your tickets:

This is the very first thing you want to do before you leave for the airport. If your baby is under two, you do not have to purchase a ticket but you still need to add a lap infant to your tickets. I didn’t realize this as I purchased my tickets online and it never gave me the option. But luckily when I called the airlines to see if I needed to do anything special they were able to add my son to our tickets. The second time I purchased my tickets online and it gave me the option to add a lap infant.

Some airlines will require you to bring documentation. I completely mom failed and never ordered Luke’s birth certificate so I was freaking out. So I called Alaskan Airlines and they were fine with the hospital certificate that was given to us the day Luke was born. So be sure and find out what your airline prefers. Sometimes if your baby is obviously younger than two they won’t even ask for documentation but better to be safe than sorry!

Find out from your airline what counts as a carry on and what you’ll need to bag:

We took Alaskan Airlines both times. I was able to go to their website to find out their rules on carry on items and things you need to bag.

What we brought with us was my husbands carry on, my purse (does not count as a carry on), and Luke’s diaper bag.

We were able to bring the stroller and car seat with us to the gate. Before we boarded, we dropped our stroller and car seat off for them to bag. Make sure you go to the gate kiosk and ask for two orange tags as you’ll need that for them to bag the stroller and car seat.

Ask for a bag for your stroller and car seat:

We declined a bag the first time we flew with Luke thinking it wasn’t necessary. But when we arrived to our destination, the stroller was all scratched and dented. Bagging it may avoid that!

Bring Snacks/food for baby:

You definitely want to bring snacks for your baby. Airplane food is not always baby friendly. Also, can’t believe I’m saying this but food can be an awesome distraction and a full belly can make for a happy baby. Check with your airport about what they will let through.

What we were able to bring with us was:

Formula, snacks (yogurt melts, graham crackers, veggie puffs), jar baby food and baby food pouches.

Keep in mind the second time we brought Luke, they had to stop and look through our bags because of the food pouches. They said we could really have only 2-4oz food pouches but we had like triple that. They still let it through but depending on who you get it may end of being tossed.

The first time I took Luke…I was still breastfeeding so I brought an ice pack for when I pumped to bring back breast milk with me and they did allow that through! As far as I remember, they do not have restrictions on breast milk and formula.

Bring toys for baby to play with but don’t go overboard:

It’s hard to know what will distract your baby on the plane so if you are like me, you’ll try to fit as many toys as possible in the diaper bag/carry on bags. But truth is, there isn’t much space on the airplane. And if your baby is anything like mine, then they’ll be over the toy in two seconds.

My advice is to bring a few favorite toys that your baby likes that are small and easily packed. Keep the toys in arms reach, the last thing you want to do is be scrambling around trying to find a toy with a crying baby.

Bring some books for baby to look through:

Luke was pretty occupied with the magazine on the airplane. I think we got a good twenty minutes from him just flipping through the pages. So we definitely will be bringing some books next time for him!

Utilize the tools on the airplane:

Luke honestly likes to play with non-toy items more than his toys. We kept him busy with opening and shutting the airplane window cover, the magazine as mentioned above, and a little empty plastic cup are just some of things he enjoyed playing with.

Walk around with your baby or take baby to the back of the airplane when baby starts to get fussy:

We didn’t have this issue the first time when we flew with Luke. It was a little bit easier because he was younger and I was still breastfeeding. This time around it was more difficult to keep him entertained when all he wanted to do was move around.

When he started to have enough of being in one spot, my husband walked around with him and that seemed to help ease his fussiness.

Timing the flight is everything:

We learned this the hard way. The first time we flew with Luke was a breeze. He slept most of the time and didn’t cry at all when he was awake. The second time when he was older (fifteen months) we struggled a bit more.

On the way to our destination, he did well other than some fussy moments here and there but it was tolerable. I think it is due to the fact that we flew after he had napped and everything. He was well rested.

On our way back from vacation, we had the flight scheduled around his bed time thinking he would naturally sleep. We couldn’t have been more WRONG. He had already not slept well for naps that day so he was already overtired. Then you throw in to the mix that it’s bed time and he could not get comfortable to fall asleep. He cried hysterically what felt like for twenty minutes straight. I never felt so helpless in my life and stuck. I was trying everything to get him to stop crying.

Eventually, I was able to get him to fall asleep but lesson learned…I will never EVER book a flight around bed time.

Pick a window seat:

There are pros and cons to an aisle seat versus a window seat. I prefer the window seat with a baby only because it offers a little more privacy. Luke was so distracted by everything that when he was obviously wanting to sleep he just couldn’t when I was sitting in the middle seat (my husband was in the window seat). When I made the switch to the window seat, I was able to get Luke to fall asleep.

Plus, you don’t have to worry about your baby touching the person next to you or throwing toys at them (yes this happened, lol).

The aisle seat is nice if you plan on walking baby up and down the aisle a lot. Or if you are afraid of bothering the person who ends up sitting next to you because you may have to get up and down frequently.

Pack extra clothes/wipes/diapers:

In case your baby has a blow out, gets food everywhere including on the plane, etc. it’s handy to have some extra of these items.

Bring a blanket:

If your baby is not quite mobile but can sit up, having a blanket for them to sit on while you wait to board the plane is handy. We sat Luke when he was 8 months and he played contently with his toys while waiting to board. It was great to have. The airport floor is nasty so having that blanket eased my anxiety.

Also, it can be cold on the airplane so having a blanket can provide some extra comfort for your baby.

Don’t get to the airport too early or too late:

That’s not confusing at all right? I have to say we timed it perfectly the second time around after learning what not to do the first time, lol.

Try to time it to where you have only about thirty minutes to forty five minutes to wait until you board.

Keep in mind that you will be able to board first since you have a baby so you don’t want to get there too late either.

Also, the second time they allowed us to go through the security as a first class/handicap since we had a baby so don’t hesitate to ask. It sped up the whole process and was so nice to not have to wait. In and out with a baby is everything!

Make sure you have baby sucking on a pacifier if they use one or breastfeeding or eating something when the plane takes off and lands:

This will help ease ear pain. The first time I made sure I nursed Luke on take off/landing and that seemed to do the trick. He didn’t fuss at all from ear pain.

The second time since I wasn’t nursing anymore, we made sure his pacifier was in on the way up and down.

If you don’t use a pacifier then having your baby chew something or drinking from a sippy cup should do the trick. The sucking motion is what helps with allowing their ears to pop and release the pressure.

Last but not least, give yourself and your baby grace.

Chances are your baby will have reached their breaking point and completely lose it. Most people will understand as they have been there. They will see that you are trying everything you can do to calm your baby. If anything, they are right there with you feeling bad. And for those that give you the dirty eye, just know you’ll probably never see them again.

You will survive. I wanted to bury my head in the sand when Luke would not stop crying. I was calm and collected on the outside but oh man, on the inside it was a different story. But we got through it. You will too. Take comfort in knowing that all parents have been there before. You got this mama!

What I would do differently:

The first trip we took with Luke when he was about eight months went really well. I wouldn’t do anything differently. I was still nursing him so that helped keep him calm and sleep most of the time.

However, fast forward seven months later when Luke was fifteen months, it was a completely different experience. It was way harder to keep him entertained and to get him more comfortable. I was constantly worried about bothering the people who sat next to us. I was sweating in the moments where Luke started fussing…panicking trying to figure out what could occupy him next.

If I could go back in time, I would have purchased a seat for Luke. That way it would have given us more room and more privacy. I could have even brought his car seat on with us and sat him in it. He probably would have slept more and been more comfortable.

It’s definitely something to consider and something I will definitely do next time. If you’re on a budget, I completely understand not wanting to purchase another ticket (that was us) and just know with the tips above you’ll be able to get through. But if you have the extra money, the convenience alone is worth it.

I would love to hear any other tips or suggestions that made your flight with your little one easier. Comment below! 🙂